Full Tilt

  He looked surprised. "I'm always nice."

  "You tend to goad him at times."

  "I can't help it if he's feeling insecure about the upcoming nuptials. Maybe he's having second thoughts. I know I would if my fiancee spent the night with another man."

  "We didn't spend the night together. Not the way you mean."

  "It got pretty hot under that blanket, Swifty."

  "Oh, God," Muffin said. "You guys didn't do it, did you?"

  "Of course not!" Jamie snapped.

  "Only because I refused to go all the way with her," Max replied. "I'm telling you, Muffin, she was begging for it."

  Jamie narrowed her eyes. "You are despicable. I was feeling scared and vulnerable and you took advantage of the situation."

  "I just want to make sure nobody got laid," Muffin said. "Jamie, you're engaged, and you have absolutely no business sleeping beneath a blanket with the likes of Max."

  "The circumstances were unusual, Muffin," Jamie said, wondering why she felt the need to defend herself to Max's computer. "It definitely won't happen again."

  Someone knocked on the window and Jamie looked up. She felt a sinking sensation at the sight of Annabelle Standish. "Oh, Lord," she moaned, despite the smile she forced to her face. She opened the door and climbed out. "Annabelle, what a surprise!"

  "Jamie Swift, I should take you out to the woodshed after what you did. I didn't get a wink of sleep. What do you mean running after some madman in the middle of the swamp? My son is still in shock. Now, be a good girl and give me a hug."

  Jamie hugged the woman tightly. As always Annabelle looked as though she had just stepped out of an expensive salon. Her clothes were perfect, not a wrinkle to be found anywhere. "I'm sorry I caused you to worry. I thought—"

  "I know what you thought. You thought you could go out there and solve the case without the help of law enforcement. You could have been killed, young lady. I demand that you put a stop to this nonsense and start concentrating on your wedding."

  Max walked around the car and stood there quietly.

  "You must be the famous Max Holt," Annabelle said, although she didn't look the least bit impressed. "I would appreciate it if you'd refrain from taking my future daughter-in-law on all these wild, life-threatening excursions."

  "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Standish," Max said, offering his hand. "I've heard a lot of wonderful things about you and what you've done for this town."

  "Yes, well, I do what I can, but I can't be every place at once. I need someone like Jamie working with me."

  Jamie decided a change of subject was in order. "Have you been visiting Phillip this morning?"

  "I peeked in on him, but he had a client. All I needed was to have a paper notarized. Honey, we have to get together as soon as we can to discuss some of the wedding details. I know you think we have plenty of time, but September will be here before you know it, and there are so many parties to plan. Not to mention bridal showers."

  "Bridal showers?"

  "Well, of course, dear. You need to bring your calendar to the house so we can plan the various events. There are at least a dozen dinner parties planned for you and Phillip by our dear friends. But first we must have a party of our own to introduce you to everyone. You can't imagine how anxious people are to meet you." She glanced at her diamond wristwatch. "Oh, my, I'm ten minutes late for an appointment. Do you see my car or my driver?"

  Jamie glanced around the parking lot and saw a uniformed man waiting beside Annabelle's limo near the alley. "There he is," she said. "Probably not easy trying to fit a limousine in such a small parking lot."

  Annabelle waved the man over. "Listen, Jamie, why don't you pack a couple of bags and stay at the house for a few days. Just until this awful business blows over. I'd feel better knowing you're close."

  "I'd like to, Annabelle, but my friend Deedee is going through a difficult time right now. I need to be there for her."

  Annabelle didn't look pleased with her reply. "Yes, well, you have your own mind, and I'm not one to try and change it." She looked at Max. "It was nice meeting you, Mr. Holt. How much longer are you planning to stay?"

  Jamie blushed. It was obvious Annabelle wanted him gone.

  "Long enough to figure out who's skimming money from the taxpayers," he said.

  Annabelle stiffened. "I'm as interested as you are about the misappropriation of tax funds, Mr. Holt, but please try to remember some of that money is going to a good cause. I fight tooth and nail for the small pittance I get to fund desperately needed shelters for battered women and children, as well as my new Help Center. How do you think these people are able to eat or keep warm in the winter? And I have to pay people to work at these places."

  "The figure I'm hearing is twenty million dollars in four years, Mrs. Standish," Max said. "That's a lot of money for a small town, don't you think?"

  "Everyone should pay their share, Mr. Holt. I certainly pay mine."

  "You're going to need more shelters, then," he said, "because people are losing their homes and cars every day due to increased property taxes. Besides, don't the people who work at your centers donate their time?"

  "That's beside the point. I still have overhead. You'll have to join me for tea before you head home, Mr. Holt. You and I seem to share the same concerns for this town. You could give me a few ideas."

  Annabelle kissed Jamie on the cheek and made her promise to call as soon as possible. She shook hands with Max and started for her car.

  Max and Jamie watched the car drive away. "I think that went fairly well," he said.

  Jamie sighed. "You managed to get a few barbs in so I know you're pleased as punch." She looked at the building. "I don't know if I can go through with this. Phillip wasn't really happy with me last time we spoke." Nevertheless, she made her way to the front door.

  She and Max waited in the lobby briefly while Phillip's secretary notified him of their arrival. Max glanced through a magazine while Jamie paced.

  "Relax," he said. "Phillip is just jealous because you're hanging out with me. I'd be jealous of me too, if I were him."

  "Could you please reel in your ego and stuff it into your big mouth?" Jamie said sweetly, although she was grinding her molars as she spoke.

  Max tossed the magazine aside and leaned closer. "Listen, Swifty, I won't say anything about last night if you won't."

  Jamie's face flamed, just as Phillip stepped into the waiting area. He stopped short at the sight of her. "Jamie, what's wrong? Your face is all red and splotchy. Are you ill?"

  "I, uh—"

  "Would you like a glass of water, Miss Swift?" the receptionist asked.

  What Jamie wanted to do was punch Max in the face. "I just got a little overheated, I think." She groaned inwardly at the thought of how Max would take her words. "The heat outside is miserable."

  "Would you care to step into my office?" Phillip asked.

  Chapter Eleven

  Phillip waited until Max and Jamie were seated before he took his place behind his desk and looked over at Jamie. "You probably think I haven't taken these threats seriously, but I have. I just didn't want to let on and alarm you. I've been riding Lamar hard and heavy every day since someone put bullets through your window, but he seems more concerned about rescheduling his fishing trip. I offered to hire one of the best private investigators in the country, but Lamar was clearly insulted."

  "You didn't tell me."

  "Like I said, I didn't want to frighten you. I'm at my wit's end, here. We can't afford to offend Lamar; we need his full cooperation. At the same time we can't afford to just sit back and wait for this person to strike again."

  "Do you think Lamar is trying to cover for someone?" Max asked.

  Phillip shook his head. "He's not the type to take bribes. He's as honest as the day is long."

  "How about his deputies?"

  Phillip shrugged. "They seem like a loyal bunch, but I don't know them personally." His gaze shifted to Jamie. "I think I should hire the
investigator anyway and not tell Lamar."

  "Not a good idea," she said. "You can't sneeze in this town without somebody hearing about it. Lamar would find out, and that would make things worse." She looked at Max. "Lamar can be prideful and stubborn."

  "I can't just sit here and do nothing," Phillip said, raising his voice.

  "You could help us," Max said.

  This time Phillip looked surprised. "Name it."

  "I'd like to talk to the city auditor. Go over the books."

  "That would be Benson Grimby," Phillip said. "He's on vacation. But I may be able to fix you up with his assistant." He thumbed through his Rolodex, picked up the phone, and dialed a number. "Alexa, this is Phillip. I need a big favor." He explained the situation. "You can go over there now," he told Max as soon as he hung up. He looked at Jamie. "Are you free for breakfast or do you plan to go over, as well?"

  Jamie looked at Max.

  "I'll be fine," Max said, getting up. "I'm sure you'd rather go to breakfast with your fiance than sift through a bunch of old documents."

  Jamie didn't argue. She and Max had reached an understanding after what had happened the night before. Or maybe Max was planning to do some snooping around on Phillip as well, and didn't want her to know.

  She smiled at Phillip. "Would you drop me off at my house afterward so I can pick up my car?"

  "Certainly."

  "Then I'm all yours."

  Max nodded and left.

  Ten minutes later, Jamie and Phillip selected a booth at the Downtown Cafe. Jamie didn't eat breakfast as a rule, but she ordered a blueberry muffin and a cup of coffee and watched in awe as Phillip downed a stack of pancakes. "Good thing you work out every day," she said.

  "I'd like to give you a workout," he responded, giving her a soulful look.

  "Soon," she promised.

  He met her gaze. "I had a reason for asking you to breakfast, Jamie. I want you to come away with me." She opened her mouth to speak, but he held his hand up. "Now, before you start arguing, let me finish. You need to get out of town for a while, that much is obvious. We could go ahead and get married and take a long honeymoon."

  "Annabelle would be livid."

  "She'll get over it. And start hounding us for a grandchild, of course. It's always going to be something."

  Jamie hesitated. When Phillip had proposed, she'd thought she would finally have the life she'd craved for so many years. But what if Phillip were somehow involved in the missing tax dollars? Not that she really believed it; after all, he was a good man. But she wanted to know in her heart that he was completely innocent. "I just don't feel right going off and leaving my best friend," she said.

  "Frankie will protect Deedee, and I'll protect you. After all, I'm going to be your husband."

  "I have a newspaper to run."

  "And you've got a managing editor to do it."

  "Mike? That's a lot of responsibility."

  "How will he ever learn if you're going to keep him tied to your apron strings?" He sat back in the booth. "We could tie up all our loose ends and be out of here by nightfall," Phillip said.

  "What about your clients?"

  "My secretary will just rearrange my schedule. I don't make a habit of canceling appointments. I don't think any of my clients will fire me for getting married and going on a honeymoon."

  Jamie shifted in her seat. "This is not a good time, Phillip. I've got security guards in my building because of the shooting. What would my staff think if I just hightailed it out of town without so much as a farewell?"

  "They'd think you were in love and couldn't wait to be my wife."

  "And I have to think of Deedee. She has always been there for me, Phillip. She's not handling this thing well. I'm afraid she's going to end up leaving Frankie."

  "Jamie, would you listen to yourself?" he said. "What does any of this have to do with us getting married?"

  She could only look back at him in silence.

  "I'm beginning to feel like you don't want to marry me at all." He paused and studied her. "Is it Max Holt? Are you in love with him?"

  "Of course not. I barely know the man."

  "But you're with him a lot."

  "You know he's my partner."

  "You don't have to spend twenty-four hours a day with him. Don't you realize how that must look to other people? It's probably all over town by now that you spent the night with him out in the swamps."

  Suddenly, Jamie understood. "Annabelle has been talking to you, hasn't she?" That explained Annabelle's rude behavior toward Max that afternoon.

  "My mother is concerned, yes. She doesn't want you to be hurt by all the gossip."

  "Are you concerned about it?"

  "I've never paid attention to gossip and you know it. But when people start bad-mouthing the woman I'm going to marry I naturally become upset."

  "I'm sorry if I've embarrassed you, Phillip. I'm sure this isn't the first time you've had to defend me to your mother."

  "What's that supposed to mean?"

  "Meaning she thinks you're marrying beneath yourself." Jamie felt ashamed the minute she said it. Annabelle had always treated her like one of the family.

  Phillip glanced down at his coffee cup. "It's no secret my mother can be a bit of a snob at times, but she has always defended you."

  "Defended me?" Jamie asked in surprise.

  "Perhaps 'defend' is the wrong word." He wiped his forehead. "Shit, I wish I hadn't said that. I don't even know what I'm saying."

  Jamie's feelings were hurt, but she was good at hiding them. She knew people had speculated about her family for years, the fact her mother had run out on her, and her father was emotionally ill and unable to work the last few years of his life. Kids in school had called Jamie's mother all sorts of names, long before Jamie had understood what they meant. There would be those who would question Annabelle about her son's decision to marry someone who didn't come from a good family. And Annabelle, who could trace her blue blood back to the beginning of time, would feel compelled to make excuses for her future daughter-in-law.

  "It's okay, Phillip," Jamie said softly. "I know I wouldn't have been your mother's first choice. I'm sorry if my past embarrasses her or you."

  "Don't be ridiculous, I'm proud to be engaged to you. My mother is ecstatic."

  The waitress dropped their check on the table and walked away quietly, as if sensing she'd come at a bad moment. "I've explained the reasons I can't go away with you," Jamie said. "I was hoping you'd understand. Perhaps when this is all over."

  "Then my hands are tied," he said. "You refuse to come to my place so I can look after you, and you won't go away with me. I don't know what else I can do." Phillip pulled out several bills and placed them on the check. "I have to go back to work now." He left her sitting there.

  Jamie ordered another cup of coffee and pulled out a cigarette. She took a puff and sighed. Then, she stabbed it against the ashtray and left.

  * * * * *

  Max barely had time to glance at the stack of retirement magazines before the door opened to the auditor's assistant's office. Alexa Sanders stared at Max for a full minute before saying anything. She was a forty-something, plus-size woman in a black dress with a fuchsia scarf. Her dark hair curled under at the ends, barely touching her shoulder.

  She swallowed. "I almost fell on the floor when Phillip called me and said you were on your way over. I've never met a celebrity. How can I help you, Mr. Holt?"

  He stood. "Call me Max. And you are Alexa Sanders, the lady who runs city hall." He held up the magazine. "And much too young to be reading this."

  She looked pleased. "I read Cosmo. But we have a few old geezers in the back who pore over this magazine like it holds the secret to life." She rolled her eyes. "My boss being one of them, I might add."

  Max smiled. "That old, huh?"

  "Not to mention senile. I spend most of my time going behind him and cleaning up his mess. I'm talking too much, aren't I? I'm nervous, that's all. Not us
ed to being around famous people. I'll bet you know Donald Trump personally. And Ted Turner," she added. "I heard you once dated Sandra Bullock."

  "You're too smart to believe the tabloids, Alexa." He glanced around. "How long have you worked here?"

  "Since college, and I don't want to tell you how long that's been. I was hoping to make auditor one day, but old man Grimby is going to outlive my grandchildren."

  "I'll bet you know everything that goes on in this place."

  She hesitated, some of the light left her eyes. "Yeah."

  "How hard would it be to get me a copy of the city budget and audits? Say the last three years?"

  "It's public knowledge, but it'll take time for me to print it out."

  "You do that for me, and I'll take you to lunch at the best place in town."

  "That's not good enough," she said.

  Max leaned on the counter that separated the lobby from the offices. "Playing hardball, huh? Okay, name your price."

  "I want an autograph for my ten-year-old son. He gets off on that sort of thing."

  "You got it." He grinned. "I'll bet you're a tough mom, huh?"

  "Damn right. I've been saving since he was born to get him into a good college. This kid is going places."

  "With you as his mother I don't doubt it for one minute."

  She looked proud. "Now, how about I fix you a cup of coffee and start printing that budget for you?"

  * * * * *

  Jamie caught up with Max at the end of the day when she pulled into Frankie and Deedee's long drive. Max was in his car, talking to Muffin and taking notes.

  "Find out anything?" Jamie asked, sliding in on the other side.

  "Muffin is checking on something for me. I had a nice visit with Alexa Sanders today."

  "Oh, yeah? She's divorced, you know."

  "She told me all about it. Good thing she got rid of the jerk. Lovely woman. And obviously way overqualified for her job."

  "I would think she's a little different from the women you prefer."

  "I think all women are beautiful, Jamie."

  "So I've heard. But you wouldn't go out with someone like Alexa Sanders."

  "As a matter of fact, I took her to lunch and had a great time."